I’ve always said NYC is a small world. What happened to me a few days ago is definitely proof of that. Last week a new client is in my book at our new West 56th Street salon. I introduce myself to him and ask what he’d like to do with his hair, my typical routine. Except it turns out, this situation was far from typical. His response is one that will remain burned into my memory, “Well, you blogged about how shitty my neckline was so I thought it was only appropriate for me to come find the girl behind the blog.” My heart dropped. He must be mistaken, I think to myself, I never include faces when I post pictures to social media. I tell him that and he whips out the picture I posted in my December 2013 blog on necklines. Shit, I did use a side view of a neckline with a face. Jesus, a stranger I blogged about over 6 months ago has found his way to my chair. How does this happen in a city of millions of people?!? Bad Square’s buddy came across my blog last week, recognized his friend’s picture with his neckline circled and labeled “Bad Square” and sent it around to his entire trading floor because that’s what dudes do to each other on the desk. Boys will be boys after all. You can’t blame Bad Square for wanting to confront me.
The story is crazy and awesome and has a happy ending, mostly because I got lucky that “Bad Square” (as I so kindly labeled him) is really a nice, forgiving guy. He let me explain myself. I first apologized for showing his face in the blog (shame on me, I should know better). Then I spent some time explaining to him why I used his neckline in my blog to prove a point. I explained that I blog to educate not to embarrass.
I have promised not to show faces again because what I write about is never meant to hurt anyone. BUT, I cannot promise to stop educating the world about the do’s and don’t of men’s haircuts. That’s in my blood, my heart, my soul. I did take the opportunity Bad Square gave me to educate him on his hair and he let me fix and blend his neckline while he was in my chair. We laughed a lot, I apologized for showing his identity and when I was done and showed him the results in the mirror, he was psyched to have found me and agreed I was in fact right, that he did used to have a “Bad Square.”
So, in the end- I learned a valuable lesson, got to educate a guy whose barber had been fucking up his neckline and hopefully gained a client (for life hopefully!)
Stay tuned for Jon’s transformation from very short hair with a “bad square” to longer flow with a perfect natural neckline, as I also got him on board with growing his hair overall and taking advantage of the great locks nature has given him. Now the only thing his buddies will be able to do on the desk is be jealous of him and his soon to be sick flow.
PS. Now that Jon has vacated the title of Bad Square, it didn’t take long to find his successor. No faces this time, but if he somehow finds his way to my chair I’ll fix him up too!
